This work aimed to study the end of service life of soles of protective footwear resistant to selected mechanical factors and mineral oil. Three sole variants were examined; made from poly(ethylene-co-vinyl acetate) (EVA), poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) and polyurethane (PU), currently widely used in all-rubber protective footwear. The preliminary study focused on the abrasion resistance and bending strength of the three sole materials after different times of exposure to mineral oil. Changes in density and hardness of the examined materials were evaluated following exposure to cyclical factors. Statistical analysis was performed to identify significant differences between the three types of polymers in terms of abrasion resistance, density and hardness following exposure to mineral oil for three different periods. Surface morphology of the sole materials was examined by means of scanning electron microscopy. The presented studies elucidate the effects of mineral oil on the basic mechanical parameters of all-rubber footwear soles.
Keywords: protective footwear; selfhealing materials.